Sixty four million (20%) Americans suffer from nocturnal bruxism, clenching and parafunction that deteriorates the dentition and compromises the supporting structures i.e.: periodentition, musculature and TMJ's. This results in many of the following symptoms:
1) Wear facets on dentition, fractured teeth or restorations and abfractions;
2) Subluxation of dentition leading to reduced vertical dimension, overbites, and mandibular crowding;
3) Osteoarthritis of the TMJ's, crepitus, and displaced discs;
4) Mandibular and maxillary tori;
5) Myofacial pain, temporal headaches, tendinitis, and limited range of motion in jaw opening;
6) Cervical stiffness, pain, and limited range of motion;
7) Ear itchiness, pain, and tinnitus; and
8) Morning vertigo or dizziness.
Unabated, these symptoms along with other factors like trauma, malocclusions, missing teeth or congenital proclivities can degenerate into debilitating pain and severely dysfunctional TMD that often have a very poor prognosis. The dental appliance of this invention is designed to mitigate this progressive deterioration from nocturnal bruxism, clenching and parafunction. This custom made antibruxing appliance eliminates posterior occlusion, anteriorly repositions condyles, prohibits parafunction and lateral excursions and promotes proper tongue position.